[HPforGrownups] Re: Latin in Harry Potter--Arabella Figg (again)

[eloiseherisson at aol.com]

No: HPFGUIDX 42626

Gretchen:
> About 90% of English words (and most European languages for that 
> matter) have roots in the latin language.  That is why the Latin 
> derivitive is so important or could be so important.
> 
> 
Eloise:
Are you sure about that? I understood that about 50% of the words in common 
usage derive from Old English, which is a Germanic tongue. Of course, if you 
include scientific, technical and medical terms, the results are going to be 
skewed significantly towards Greek and Latin. French, Italian and Spanish 
have much higher Latin quotients than English, I would venture.

In any case, as I have pointed out, Arabella already has a perfectly good 
Latin derivation, meaning amiable (which in itself could be used to back up 
the Sirius/Arabella theory, or to back up the 'Mrs Figg is really a lovely 
young witch who's polyjuiced/aged herself into an old woman' theory). It just 
seems a bit much to then go and work out a secondary derivation. All I can 
say is that if I were an author with an interest in language and words, I 
would *select* names according to their primary meaning, or make up or use 
names that punned or hinted at meanings in English. I don't think I would 
take an established name, with an established meaning and use it to mean 
something else that it could possibly be tortured into meaning in another 
language. This makes Humpty Dumpty's use of language look positively 
conventional!

Gretchen:

Back to the Dumbledore Latin meaning, the old English word of 
bumblebee probably has significance, but I also think that if you 
look at the Latin to give birth to or to send to die will also have 
significance.

Eloise:
Could you derive that for me? My 'A' Level Latin's rusty.

I also wonder about this implication that Latin derivations are better than 
derivaitons from other languages (which is the implication of my original 
question of why does everything have to have a Latin root?). My Anglo-Saxon 
roots (if such they are) are bristling. (Can roots bristle?)

Eloise
Who loves abstruse theories, but also believes in the application of Ockham's 
razor and is glad that Richard, at least is of similar opinions. (In his last 
post, at least. He may disagree violently with this!)
Oh....and Eileen, who has just posted since I wrote this.


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